Loading ...Reynato S. Puno (born May 17, 1940) is the incumbent Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Appointed on December 8, 2006 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, he is the 23nd person to serve as Chief Justice. Puno had initially been appointed to the Supreme Court as an Associate Justice on June 28, 1993.
Puno earned his law degree from the University of the Philippines. During his stay in the state university, he also served as editor of the Philippine Collegian. He would later finish post-graduate studies at the Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (Master of Comparative Laws), University of California, Berkeley (Master of Laws), and University of Illinois (finished all academic requirements of the degree of Doctor of Judicial Science).
Puno began his legal career in private practice. In 1969, he joined the law practice of his elder brother Isaac, a future judge whose murder at age 39 remains unsolved to date. In 1971, he joined the Office of the Solicitor General, where he would serve for the next nine years.
In 1980, Puno was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos as a Justice of the Court of Appeals. He rejoined the executive department in 1984, this time as a Deputy Minister of Justice. Upon the assumption into office of President Corazon Aquino in 1986, Puno was reappointed to the Court of Appeals.
Puno has been praised for his erudite and literary writing style. His predecessor as Chief Justice, Artemio Panganiban, once lauded Puno’s writing in the following manner: "Like a trained surgeon, he uses his pen with razor-like precision to separate the excise fabrication from truth and pretension from reality. In the process, he gives life to populist causes and libertarian ideals. Darting, gutsy and erudite, he often wages lonely battles against conventional wisdom with his stirring dissents and insightful opinion." (Panganiban, Justice and Faith, p. 142)
Chief Justice Reynato Puno is a Freemason and Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines. MW Reynato S. Puno PGM is also a charter member of Jacques DeMolay Memorial Lodge No.305, and also a local member of Dagohoy Lodge No. 84.
Other Information
- Name : Reynato S. Puno
- Birthday : May 17, 1940
- Birthplace : Manila
- Schools Attended :
- Law degree, University of the Philippines
- Post-graduate studies, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas (Master of Comparative Laws)
- University of California, Berkeley (Master of Laws)
- University of Illinois (finished all academic requirements of the degree of Doctor of Judicial Science)
- Father : Isaac I. Puno Sr.
- Mother : Narcisa "Sisang" Serrano Puno
- Spouse : Luzviminda T. Delgado-Puno
- Children :
- Reynato, Jr.
- Emmanuel
- Ruth Puno
Career Highlights
- 22nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Incumbent (December 8, 2006)
Notable Events
- Supreme Court term
- Extrajudicial Killings Summit (2007)
- Writ of Amparo (August 17, 2007)
- Historical Promulgation of Writ of Amparo (September 25, 2007)
- A.M. No. 07-9-12-SC, The Rule on Writ of Amparo (October 24, 2007)
- Justice on Wheels (JOW) Project (2008)
- Case Management Information System (CMIS) (2008)
- Small Claims Court Pilot Project (2008)
Awards and Recognitions
- One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the Philippines award in the field of law (1977)
- Outstanding Alumnus of the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity – UP College of Law (1975)
- "Outstanding Alumnus" by the University of the Philippines College of Law (1996)
- 2007 Times Person of the Year
- 2008 UPAA Most Distinguished Alumnus Award
- 2008 WPPAC award
Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.